Open Range: Sugar and the Camp
by Bret Baxley
Summary: When Charley and Boss go to the nearby town Mose and Button find the bag of sugar Boss had hidden. Everything was grand until they had an unexpected and unpleasant visitors. In the movie it was never shown what happen to Mose and Button. This is one version.


_Open Range_

_(Disclaimer: I don't own the movie or the characters and I am getting no compensation from this story. There is so much that's not told about what happened between Button and Mose when Boss and Charley left them at the camp together. Here's just one explanation.)_

_Sugar and the Camp_

_After Boss and Charley left, Mose grinned at Button._

"_I got some sugar when I went to town," the big man giggled, a bandage wrapped around his head. His left eye was still swollen and bruised although not as badly when he was being held in the jail. The last thing he wanted to do was to think about what the Sheriff and his henchmen had done to him. "Want some?"_

"_Si'!" Button grinned back widely. The two ran for the wagon giggling like girls where the white cotton bag was stored. "But won't Boss get mad if we eat it?" Button asked, ever the worrier. He had his own demons from his past and he feared being beaten like the saloon owner used to do just a few years before._

"_Nah," Mose answered plopping down on the ground by the campfire. Carefully opened the bag and he peeked inside. Taking a tin cup he dipped it into the bag and withdrew some of the white granules. _

"_I'd be real good if'n we had some butter. We could spread it on some bread and make sugar sandwiches," Mose said, admiring the sugar, his eyes twinkling at the thought._

"_But we don't haves no butter," Button stated the obvious. "Maybe when we get to 'nother town we could buys some," he grinned widely at the thought._

"_Maybe," Mose chuckled, "but until then we'll just have to eat it raw, I reckon."_

_Button laughed at the thought and, taking the cup, poured some into his mouth then handed it back to Mose. As though sipping tea from fancy china cups they delicately handed the cup back and forth until it was empty. _

_The sugar sweetness was a delight as it melted into their mouths. Ol' Tig laid by Mose's side watching with interest as he panted happily. In no time, both of them were laughing, feeling hyper from the sugar rush. Tig saw a rabbit hop across the hillside and gave a yip. Both Button and Mose watched as Tig bolted off in pursuit. Excitedly, they ran after Tig yipping and cheering for glee. Mose stuck out a big foot and tripped Button sending him tumbling head over heels in the grass._

"_I'll git you!" Button yelled, a huge smile on his face, then jumped up and charged after Mose. Big Mose ran a short distance then simply grabbed Button shoving him back to the ground. Button tackled one of Mose's legs causing the big man to tumble. Hitting the ground and howling with delight, Mose gingerly jumped to his feet as Tig also jumped, barking with the same joy. _

_Suddenly Tig stopped and stood his ground, growling menacingly that told them both something was not right. "What is it, boy?" Mose looked at the dog after throwing Button once more to the ground. _

_Alerted now by Mose's reaction Button quickly sat up and looked in the direction both Mose and Tig looked. _They hadn't realized anyone was watching.

"Is that Boss and Charley already?" Button asked perplexed. "That don't look like Boss and Charley."

Mose studied the riders and his eyes widened. "That's 'cause it's not," he told Button watching five riders on horses watching back.

Button shot him a concerned look, "Then, who is it?"

"I don't rightly know," the big man said, "But I think we oughta get our guns."

Button nodded and stood up with Mose. Seeing the movement five men on horseback moved forward in unison towards Mose and Button.

"Mose?!" Button looked open mouthed at his friend uncertain of what to do.

"I know, Button," Mose replied. "Git back to the wagon! Fast!"

Mose hadn't realized they had gotten so far away from it. As they ran they could hear their horses approaching closer and closer. Glancing over his shoulder Mose could see smoky mists snorting out of the horses nostrils from the cool evening air.

Finally reaching the wagon moments before the riders reached it, Mose grabbed the rifle that laid just inside the wagon. Button sprinted for the other rifle that laid on the ground by the campfire where they had been eating the sugar.

Shots rang out. The five men encompassed them, whooping like wild men, burlap sacks with slits cut for their eyes disguised their faces. A thought went through Mose's mind. '_If they're going to kill us then why wear bags over their heads?' _he wondered as he turned to confront the intruders.

The butt of a rifle hit Button across the side of his head and he went down, knocked senseless. "BUTTON!" Mose yelled at the sight of his friend being attacked and raised his rifle. Before he could fire a round a bullet struck him shattering his shoulder. Mose spun, he rifle in his hands firing wildly and missed its intended target. Tig yipped at the horses heels causing them to spin and buck. A bullet wounded the little dog as he rolled yelping in pain.

Knowing he had to help Button, Mose tried to get up on his feet, his shattered shoulder bleeding badly, but not before he was hit again in the chest, a fine mist of blood exploding as Mose collapsed back to the ground. Wearing a brown derby on top of the bag on his head one of the horsemen rode over to where Mose lay writhing in pain and squeezed the trigger on his pistol. The shot bore through Mose's head. His body twitched then moved no more.

Button was on his hands and knees, blood pouring down the side of his face and blinding him. Struggling to see, he felt a hand lift him up by his shirt collar and drag him across the ground.

"Let go!" he yelled as he struggled, his rifle discarded to the ground. The rough hand let go dropping Button on the hard ground. Pain shot through his head, making him cry out.

"We don't like you free grazers," the man, now standing next to Button, hissed then kicked him hard on the side with the toe of his boot. Button cried out again as he rolled. Looking over he could see a big hulk on the ground that was his friend. "MOSE!" he cried, knowing he was dead.

"Stand up!" a man growled and yanked Button. "I said, stand up!" A fist smashed into his face making his ears ring. Another foot kicked his ribs again made a sickening sound as they broke broke. Button was curled up on the ground holding his side.

Their furious attack stopped as they laughed and moved away from Button to where the little dog was yelping in pain and started kicking him mercilessly. Seeing their cruelty Button gathered what little strength he had left and, with great determination, grabbed the rifle he had dropped then rose to his feet. "WATCH OUT!" one of the riders yelled as Button raised his rifle. If he could have he would have killed each one of them. Firing he hit the man wearing the brown derby in his shoulder drawing the attention of the others. As a bullet struck Button in his stomach he crumpled to the ground and moved no more.

"Serves 'em right, filthy free grazers." The man who spoke pulled off his mask and replaced his derby on his head as blood spread through the shoulder of his expensive silk shirt.

How long he had been out Button could not say but when he came to he was alone in the dark. The only movement he could make was to cover his side where he was bleeding badly. Strange that his rifle laid under him as he felt gentle hands turning him over.

"Boss," he spoke the name looking up into a sympathetic face.

"It's alright, boy. We're gonna take care of you," Boss reassured him.

"Mose?" he asked. But before getting an answer his world went black.


End file.
